pip vs uv
pip
pip.pypa.io
uv
docs.astral.shSide by side
| Figure | pip | uv |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Package Managers | 8.8 (#7) | 8.9 (#4) |
| Spec score · Python Package Managers | 8.3 (#3) | 8.0 (#10) |
| Dependency resolution | pip can determine and install package dependencies, and its resolver can backtrack when version choices are incompatible. | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Lockfile support | Yes | Yes |
| Offline installation | Yes | Yes |
| Package formats | sdist,wheel | source distributions,wheels,requirements.txt,pylock.toml |
| Private registry auth | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | pip is the package installer for Python and can install packages from PyPI and other indexes. | uv is an extremely fast Python package and project manager written in Rust. |
| Security | The documentation says pip does not check for remote tampering by default, but hash-checking mode and binary-only installs can provide a more secure installation method. | uv uses TLS with rustls and bundled Mozilla root certificates by default to verify HTTPS connections. |
| Supported platforms | The current pip version is supported on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and maintainers do not support other operating systems. | macOS,Linux,Windows,CPython,PyPy,Pyodide,GraalPy |
Plans
In their own words
pip
pip installs Python packages from PyPI and other package indexes, as well as from version control URLs, local project directories, and source archives. It supports source distributions and wheels, resolves dependencies, and can install an environment specified in a requirements file. Its install command can produce a JSON report of installed packages. pip runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and the current version supports CPython 3.10 through 3.15 and the latest PyPy3. Other operating systems and Python versions are not supported by its maintainers. It is commonly included in virtual environments and Python downloads from python.org; ensurepip and get-pip.py are also installation options. An experimental standalone zip application is available, but its documentation advises against production use. pip is free. It does not collect telemetry, though it sends non-identifying details such as Python version and operating system to the remote indexes it accesses. Remote tampering checks are not enabled by default; hash-checking mode and binary-only installs are listed as more secure options.
uv
uv is a Python package and project manager for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Written in Rust, it manages dependencies and environments, with lockfiles and workspaces, and can install, list, pin, or uninstall Python versions. It also runs scripts with dependencies and runs or installs command-line tools from Python packages. Its pip-compatible interface is intended to cover work done by tools such as pip, pip-tools, pipx, poetry, pyenv, twine, and virtualenv, though its commands do not exactly match those tools. The documentation describes uv as 10–100x faster than pip. It supports source distributions, wheels, requirements.txt, and pylock.toml, as well as offline installation and private registry authentication. For package selection, its default first-index strategy limits candidates to the first index where a package is found. Credentials are not stored in uv.lock, but uv currently stores them in a plaintext file; native system secret storage is an experimental preview. The free plan is free.